Monday, November 28, 2011

Writing The Blockbuster Book Proposal: How To Sell Your
Non-Fiction Book By Britt Gillette

You did it. You crafted the perfect query letter for your
non-fiction book, and as a result, an editor at a large publishing house has
requested a full book proposal. At this point, you have a 50/50 chance of
seeing your work on a bookstore shelf. The difference maker will be a strong
book proposal that exhibits knowledge of your audience, what that audience
needs and wants, and how that audience can be reached on a cost-effective
basis.

When an editor makes a request to see your book proposal, he/she will most
likely send along a brief overview of the publisher's book proposal guidelines.
You might want to make some subtle adjustments to your proposal in order to
meet those guidelines. But under no circumstances should you wait for a book
proposal to be requested before actually writing one. A well-written,
professional book proposal takes several days, oftentimes several weeks, to
compose. It should be the first thing you write – before both the query letter
and the manuscript itself. Despite the guidelines, each proposal is unique, and
the quality of yours will be THE difference maker in determining whether or not
the publisher takes a financial risk with your book. So put your best effort
into crafting a blockbuster book proposal. Below, you'll find a list of the
basic elements of a book proposal that, if mastered, will all but guarantee the
offer of a book contract.

Element #1: The Title Page/Table of
Contents: The first page of a book proposal is the title page. The title page
states the working title for the book you are proposing along with your contact
information (and that of your agent if you have one). Make sure to center the
text. Generally, it isn't wise to use fancy borders or cutesy graphics. You're
writing a business proposal. Make sure it looks like one. On the second page of
your proposal, provide a short table of contents for the book proposal itself.
List each of the following sections along with their corresponding page
numbers: Summary, About The Author, Audience, Competition, Publicity &
Promotional Opportunities, Outline, and Sample Chapters. Some will say the
Outline and Sample Chapter sections are optional, but remember, you’re trying
to sell a book. Providing the publisher with a sample of your writing,
especially if you're a first-time author, might well mean the difference
between acceptance and rejection.

Element #2: Summary: In the Summary
section of your proposal, provide a brief overview of the proposed book. Try to
envision the blurb that will appear on the back cover of your final product.
Make that blurb the opening paragraph. Show the editor you can hook him/her on
your proposal from the very first sentence, and you'll convince them of your
ability to hook a potential reader as well. Elaborate on the contents of your
query letter by addressing the following subjects: the content, the audience,
and the author. What is the premise of your book? What does it promise its
reader? Who is the market for the book? How large is that market? And, finally,
why are you the best person to write this book at this time?

Element #3: About The Author: In the
About The Author section of your proposal, go into greater detail about
yourself. In general, it's best to use third person. But it's okay to use first
person if you feel more comfortable doing so. Why are you the best qualified
person to write this book? What are your credentials? Are you an expert in the
field? Has your previous work been published (not just in books, but
newspapers, magazines, ezines, etc.)? Are you a prolific public speaker? If so,
how many speeches do you give each year? To what types of audiences do you
speak? Do you have media experience or media contacts? If so, let the editor
know. If you have limited experience in any or all of these fields, say so. Be
honest and direct. Experience helps, but lack of experience itself will not
lead to rejection. Misrepresenting yourself will. Never include information
about your personal life unless it is essential to your ability to sell the
book.

Element #4: Audience:
In the Audience section of your proposal, clearly define the market for your
book. First, identify the demographic segment you hope to target. Examples of
demographic characteristics are gender, age, political ideology, religion,
nationality, education level, economic status, etc. Be specific. Research the
size of the audience and back up your claims with real numbers. Avoid broad
claims such as "everyone will love this book," and instead use such
statements as "4.5 million college-educated Christian men between the ages
of 21 and 29 will be drawn to this book because of its unique..." At this
point, define the psychographics of your audience. What is the motivation of
this demographic to buy your book? What unmet needs and wants do they harbor
that your book is sure to satisfy? In short, make certain your Audience section
clearly indicates 1) who will buy your book, and 2) why they will buy it.

Element #5: Competition: In the
Competition section of your proposal, provide examples of well-known published
books similar to yours (or, if your book covers a new niche in a popular
subject, list those books that target a similar audience). It’s always best to
cite bestsellers. If you can track down the sales figures for these books,
provide the number of copies each title sold. The larger the sales figures, the
more you strengthen your case that a large market exists for your subject
matter. Once you've established that a large market exists, explain why your
book will be different. In what way will you position your book in order to
differentiate it from its peers? Do any demographic trends aid your case for
continued demand in this market? State explicitly why your book is unique and
why the market is ripe for its release. However, be wary of a bold statement
such as "nothing like my book has ever been written before". You may
have uncovered a unique angle for your subject, but in all likelihood, you
haven’t invented a new genre or field of study.

Element #6: Publicity and
Promotional Opportunities: In this section of your proposal, outline the
promotional avenues open to your book. If you've already established that a
market exists, this section will be the make it or break it section of your
proposal. The publisher must know how you intend to reach the audience you've
identified. Do specific groups exist with a high likelihood of being receptive
to your book? Good examples are the audience members of a specific radio or
television show, readers of specific magazines or newsletters, book clubs,
non-profit organizations, or trade groups. Identify the groups relevant to your
book and point out the vehicles a publisher can use to reach those groups in a
cost-effective manner. Do you have media connections or experience? Potential
exposure on nationally syndicated radio and television shows is the best way to
capture a publisher’s attention. Booking the author on such shows is free, and
the resulting sales can be astronomical. So publishers are always looking for
authors with a media platform. Do you have one? What angle or hook can you
provide a producer or editor that will land you a coveted interview or feature
story? If you develop a strong enough hook, you might land a book contract
based on this aspect of your proposal alone.

Element #7: Outline: For this
section of your proposal, provide a list of the proposed chapter titles, along
with a brief overview of the contents therein.

Element #8: Sample Chapters: In this
section of your proposal, simply attach the first two or three chapters of your
proposed manuscript. Providing sample chapters is essential for a first-time
author. If your chapters are of high quality, they give the publisher
confidence you can produce a publishable manuscript in a timely manner.

Element #9: Presentation: The
presentation of your book proposal is as instrumental to its success as the
content. Make sure to proofread zealously. If you think you've finished,
proofread it again. Read, correct, and rewrite your proposal at least twenty
times so as to be confident that it's the best it can possibly be. When it
comes time to print the final draft, the body of the proposal should be
double-spaced and printed in black ink on clean white paper using a LaserJet
printer. Finally, just as with any business document, send your book proposal
via FedEx. This will create the immediate impression you are a professional who
will be businesslike in his day-to-day dealings with the publisher.

Once you've incorporated these nine elements into your book proposal, you will
be left with a finished product worthy of commanding the respect of any editor.
But in order to create a true blockbuster book proposal, make sure to… Define
the book’s concept. Identify the book’s audience. And outline exactly how to
reach that audience. Do these three things well, and you’re certain to obtain a
book contract. So don't waste any time. Get to work on your blockbuster book
proposal today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Britt Gillette is the author of The Dittohead's Guide To Adult Beverages
(Regnery 2005). He also runs The DVD Report (http://www.thedvdreport.com),
a site showcasing his personal reviews of movies and TV shows currently
released on DVD.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

You’ve been asked to
critique another person’s writing. Perhaps you’re in a writing group. Maybe a
colleague has a novel, or a short story, or a collection of their poems, they
want to share with you. Or it may be a friend, or a family member, who requests
your help. Easy, right?

Not at all.

Your response will be
based on a variety of factors. First, who, exactly, is this person making this
perfectly reasonable but deceptively simple-sounding request? How well do you
know them, and how comfortable are you with critiquing their writing and they
with receiving the criticism? And when they asked you for your assistance, how,
precisely, did they pose their request?

When someone asks you,
in a context outside a professional working relationship, to look over
something they wrote, your first response should be, “What, precisely, would
you like me to do?” Their answer will depend, of course, on both their
familiarity with the critiquing process and their self-awareness.

If they respond that
they just want assurance that their work is readable, that they’re headed in
the right direction, that the concept and the narrative are potentially
appealing to a wide readership, you have it relatively easy. You’ll simply be
reading the piece of writing and spending a matter of minutes sharing, in
writing or in conversation, your general impressions. But you’re still
confronted with the possibility that your honest answer to their question “Is
it any good?” will be no. I’ll get back to that in a moment.

If they ask for a more
substantial review, one involving notes and/or revisions, because they know you
have writing and/or editing experience and can give them guidance, make sure
you mention two things: One, they must know the distinction between substantive
and mechanical editing. Two, they need to understand what they’ve asked of you.

Substantive editing
involves reviewing a piece of writing holistically, examining its structure,
pacing, and overall impact, and determining whether it is well organized or
would be improved with shuffling of sentences, paragraphs, or sections. (Rare
is the early draft of a piece of writing that is not improved with at least some
reorganization.) A substantive editor will also make occasional notes about
phrasing or word choice. Mechanical editing, by contrast, is attention to
grammar, syntax, style, spelling, punctuation, and other minutiae — though a
limited holistic appraisal is part of the process.

Once you’re confident
that the difference is understood, let the supplicant know that it’s best to
manage these distinct tasks in two stages, and that at this point, during the
draft stage, only the substantive review will be productive.

I suggested earlier
that you bring up two issues. The other thing you must do is manage
expectations about your commitment of time and energy. Many beginning writers
haven’t acquired a perspective about how long editing takes. Make it clear that
for you to do anything more than read for general impressions, in order to give
the piece of writing the attention it deserves, you would expect to be able to
get through only a few pages per hour. For that reason, you would like them to
select a chapter from the novel or a section of the short story or a reasonably
small fraction of the collected poems for you to review, and to be patient
about a response.

Remember that part
above about me getting back to you about something? That something is honest
appraisal. I’ll go into detail in another post about how to appraise, but here
is a brief caution: In agreeing to critique someone’s writing, whether
superficially or in depth, you are agreeing to respond truthfully about
someone’s success in communicating heartfelt expression about something that
means a lot to them. As obvious as that may seem to you, I suggest that your
response include something like this:

“Understand that no
matter how good a writer you are, there will be areas for improvement, and I
want to be honest with you about them so that you can become even better. I’d
expect no less from you if you looked over something I’ve written. So, unless
you’ve done multiple drafts and had someone do substantive editing and someone
else do mechanical editing, be prepared for the fact I’m going to find things
in your writing that need work. Also, it’s possible that what you’ve written
may appeal to others but not to me, but if that’s the case, I’ll still try to
advise you about what you can do to make it even more appealing to others.”

This statement may
seem unduly frank and intimidating, but I think it’s important that you say it.
By stating something like this up front, you’re not implying that the writer is
a fragile narcissist who will crumble at the slightest hint of criticism;
you’re preparing them to get what they asked for: a candid, productive
evaluation of something they’ve put a lot of time and effort into but must be
prepared to work on even more before it is ready for publication, if that is
their goal.

And if you must
forthrightly state your opinion that the writer should abandon the idea (but
not their desire to share other ideas), or that the presentation is awkward or
ineffective (but has potential for success if they’re willing to put a lot more
work into it), you’ve done your duty, and it is the other person’s
responsibility to accept your conclusions with good grace.

But be sure to preface
the medicine with a spoonful of sugar: Find something positive to begin your
report. I’ll go into more detail about that and other appraisal techniques in a
later post.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

1.Don’t hold back on that fantasy site visit /
phone call / interview / query / meeting that you have always wanted to do,
lest it become too late to include the results in your book. Do it now! This
book is your golden ticket.

2.Don’t lose track of your notes and/or future
ideas for inclusion by writing things down in multiple notebooks or on
scattered pages of the same notebook; concentrate, aggregate, cohere, reread,
and compress. Keep it all in one place (with back-ups). Obsessive-compulsive
organizational habits are your bestfriend; telling insane and vaguely
embarrassing stories later on, about how you used eight different colored
markers, four highlighter types, and multiple versions of extra pages stapled
into a vast mega-notebook that you re-read every night before bed – and that
you also took digital photos of lest you lose the whole thing in a house fire –
will be a lot more fun than explaining how you forgot to include certain things
and your book sucked because you never got your shit together.

3.Quick, tossed off, last minute additions,
typed right before you submit the final manuscript, probably aren’t a good
idea, no matter how funny or emotionally powerful you might feel they are at
the time of impulsively writing them. Always allow time to come back and read
something from a distance.

4.And run all quirky one-liners that you hope to
include in your author’s bio (do you “always enjoy a good latté”?) past a close
friend; they don’t age well.

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About Me

An enthusiastic instructor and writer, I spend my time freelancing as both. I teach book writing as well as all aspects of graphic design. I love to teach and I very much enjoy writing and creating books.